2. In 1968, Tragedy at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated

3. In 1989, Colin Luther Powell Promoted to the rank of Four Star General:

4. In 2009, Little Anthony and the Imperials are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 24th annual ceremony. Smokey Robinson is their presenter.

In 2015, Walter Scott was murdered in North Charleston, South Carolina, following a daytime traffic stop for a brake light. Scott, a black man, was fatally shot by Michael Slager, a white North Charleston police officer. The video proved an unarmed Scott was shot in the back while fleeing.

1. In 1775, Lord Dunmore, deposed royal governor of Virginia, issued proclamation which promised freedom to male slaves who joined the British army.

2. In 1876, Edward A. Bouchet received the Ph.D. degree in physics at Yale University and became the first Black to receive a doctorate at an American University.

3. In 1876, Edward Bannister, the first Black artist to win wide critical acclaim, awarded prize at Philadelphia Centennial Exposition for his work, Under the Oak.

4. In 1876, The disputed presidential election which changed the course of black history occurs. The dispute led to the Hayes-Tilden Compromise. In order to be declared president Republican Rutherford B. Hayes reached an agreement with southern Democrats which had the effect of ending much of Reconstruction and the protection of black rights. The Jim Crow era began with “black codes” and other measures which severely limited black rights. Many of these rights were not restored until the 1960’s.

5. In 1909, Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver organized in Mobile, Alabama, by four Posephite priests and three Catholic laymen.

6. In 1934, Arthur L. Mitchell defeated Oscar DePriest in a Chicago election and became the first Black Democratic congressman.

1. In 1870, Joseph H. Rainey became the first Black member of Congress. A portrait in his honor was finally placed in the U.S. Capitol Building in 2006.

2. In 1894, Henry Ossawa Tanner wins the Medal of Honor at the Paris Exposition for his paintings. He was the first African-American painter to gain international acclaim for his work. Tanner was born in Pittsburgh. In fact, he eventually moved to Paris because of opposition to black artists in the United States. His most famous painting is “The Banjo Player.”

1. Hiram Roades Revels, was the first African American to serve in the United States Senate. Because he preceded any African American in the House, he was the first African American in the U.S. Congress as well. He represented Mississippi in 1870 and 1871 during Reconstruction. As of 2011, Revels is one of only six African Americans ever to have served in the United States Senate.

2. Greg Morris, television and movie actor.Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Morris began his acting career in the 1960s making guest appearances on many TV shows such as The Twilight Zone and Ben Casey. In 1966, he was cast in his most recognizable role as the electronics expert Barney Collier in the TV series Mission: Impossible. Morris, Peter Lupus and Bob Johnson were the only actors to remain with the series throughout its entire run. he went to see the film version of Mission: Impossible that starred Tom Cruise. The reports were that he disliked the movie so much (an opinion that was shared by several of his former co-stars) that he left the theater early. According to The Associated Press, he said of the movie: “It’s an abomination.”

3. Stephanie Pogue, Was a Professor of art in the Department of Art at the University of Maryland, Pogue taught printmaking and drawing and served as the Department’s Chair from 1993 to 1998. A contemporary painter and printmaker, Stephanie Pogue received her B.F.A. from Howard University, Washington DC (1963-1966), and her M.F.A. from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (1968). She served as both a Professor and Gallery Director at Fisk University, Nashville, from 1968 to 1981.

4. Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr., better known by many as Lil Wayne, is Rapp Artist. Formerly a member of the rap group the Hot Boys, he joined the Cash Money Records collective as a teenager. Get It How U Live, released in 1997, was Lil Wayne’s first album with Hot Boys, and Tha Block is Hot, his solo debut, came out in 1999. After gaining fame with two other albums in the early 2000s, Lil Wayne reached higher popularity with 2004’s Tha Carter and its two subsequent albums Tha Carter II (2005) and Tha Carter III (2008).

Donald Cortez “Don” Cornelius, Television show host and producer who is best known as the creator of the nationally syndicated dance/music franchise Soul Train, which he hosted from 1971-1993. Cornelius sold the show to MadVision Entertainment in 2008.

Tamara Taylor, actress, has made guest appearances on NCIS, Numb3rs, Lost, CSI: Miami, Without a Trace, Party of Five and Dawson’s Creek. She portrayed Debrah Simmons in the 2005 romantic-comedy Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Taylor also had a brief role in Serenity, the movie conclusion of the TV series Firefly by Joss Whedon. Through her part in Serenity, Taylor was able to audition for a show with actor David Boreanaz, who had previously worked with Whedon in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. She also appeared in the TV series Lost, as the former girlfriend of Michael and mother of Walt.

1. John Merrick, entrepreneur born in Clinton, North Carolina, who founded the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company. Merrick was born into slavery and raised by a single mother. He began working in business and entrepreneurship early with barbershops, and he involved the community in his businesses. He eventually founded not only the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, but many other companies, such as banks, in the Raleigh-Durham area.

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1. Jacob Lawrence, painter; he was married to fellow artist Gwendolyn Knight. Lawrence referred to his style as “dynamic cubism”, though by his own account the primary influence was not so much French art as the shapes and colors of Harlem.

Lawrence is among the best-known twentieth century painters and was only in his twenties when his “Migration Series” made him nationally famous. A part of this series was featured in a 1941 issue of Fortune magazine. The series depicted the epic Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North. The collection has been split into two parts for public viewing.

2. Theodore Walter (Sonny) Rollins, Blues and Jazz Musician, Jazz saxophonist. Grammy-winning jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions have become jazz standards.

3. James Milton Campbell, Jr., better known as Little Milton, electric blues ,rhythm and blues, and soul singer and guitarist, best known for his hit records “Grits Ain’t Groceries” and “We’re Gonna Make It.”, “If Walls Could Talk”, “Let’s Get Together”

4. Benjamin “Benny” Latimore , Charleston, Tennessee), usually known professionally simply as Latimore, is an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist.(Let’s Straighten It Out)

7. Michele L. Norris, A radio journalist and current host of the National Public Radio (NPR) evening news program All Things Considered since December 9, 2002. She is the first African American female host for NPR.